[ijontichy]

I've been out of the amateur astronomy game since the late 80's, and evidently a lot has changed since then, so much that I am completely lost again. What has me really excited are the extraordinary images of Jupiter and Saturn that amateurs are generating with their CCD cameras and rather modest (aperture-wise) telescopes. I would like to try something like that.

After reading a lot of stuff on the internet, some out-of-date, I still have many questions, and I'll just have to dump them all here and hope that some will get answered and for the rest I'll get some references:

1) For planetary imaging, would an 8"-10" Schmidt-Cassegrain suffice (like the standards from Celestron and Meade)? Would a high-quality 5"-6" apochromatic refractor be better? Cost is not a major concern (until I add everything up and get a heart attack).

2) For planetary imaging, the CCD cameras like the Imaging Source DMK31 and the Lumenera SKYnix2 seem to be the go (ignore the expense, for now). These cameras take 30 or 60 frames per second and planets are real bright, so my question is: is it still necessary to have your telescope polar-aligned and continuously correcting for the rotation of the Earth? Does the processing software help you with that sort of thing?

3) I think I'm right in believing that light pollution isn't as huge a concern for planets as it is for other sky objects ("seeing" is the big killer). But I live in a very restricted environment: an apartment with a large balcony that faces the direction where the sun rises. My azimuthal range is about 100 degrees (I don't think I can see the South Pole). My altitude range is about 70 degrees, i.e. I have a clear horizon, and can see up to about 20 degrees from the zenith. I need to practice "silent astronomy", because I do not wish to awaken my neighbours. Big question: is my goal of doing planetary astrophotography compatible with my residential situation?

That's enough for now. Any help or pointers would be much appreciated.